10/31/2011

Monday drive through: Jason Garrett said his team played hard ... and he meant it

PHILADELPHIA - It wasn't one strike away, not even close, so the Cowboys will just settle for embarrassing.

1. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett repeatedly said his team's effort in the 34-7 loss to the Eagles in Philly was good. Imagine how things would have been if the effort had been bad.The Cowboys looked devoid of any energy and enthusiasm after the Eagles scored the opening touchdown.The Cowboys were down 24-0 at the half and their intensity was "good", according to Red. How is that possible?He says it's all about execution, but 24-0? This was not like the 44-6 season-ending loss in 2008 when that team played dead. This Cowboys didn't quit, but that's about it.

2. Give credit to Rob Ryan for not ducking the media after his "we're going to beat their ass" comments in training camp. He came out and took the blame. Everything the man called blew up in his face. A great many in the NFL will avoid the media after a dud, but Ryan admitted what we all saw - He got his butt beat by Andy Reid.

3. DeMarcus Ware's four sacks are the equivalent of hitting a Grand Slam in a 13-4 defeat. They will look good at the end of the season, but immediately after this game they are worthless.

3.5 If the Cowboys' front seven can't generate any pressure, and they really didn't on Sunday night, this secondary again can't be expected to hold coverages long enough to make stops.

4. John Phillips must not have developed at all because why else is Martellus Bennett on this team?

5. Losing Sean Lee is a killer. Let's be clear - his absence due to an wrist injury suffered in the first half meant nothing other than to show just how far Bradie James and Keith Brooking have fallen.

6. Jason Garrett is competing with Jack Del Rio, Andy Reid and a handful of other coaches for the All Boring Coach Quote team. The man is nice, and just so boring it hurts.

7. The Cowboys run defense looked exposed, but so did the secondary and their inability to play up on the fast Eagles receivers. It was as the entire secondary knew they would get burned, so they kept everything in front of them. But it didn't matter when they didn't tackle until Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy and the rest were 20 yards down field.

7.5 LeSean McCoy may want to think about carrying the ball closer to his body, but when there are absolutely no defenders around you - who cares? McCoy's 185 rushing yards was the sixth-best in team history.

8. Tony Romo was awful, but he had absolutely no time to breathe. His QB rating was 66.7. This is what happens when you play against a real team with a real defense and not the St. Louis Rams. It was cute, however, to watch Cowboys owner Jerry Jones adjust Romo's tie and collar in the locker room after the two finished up a conversation.

8.5 Not that anybody noticed, or should, but DeMarco Murray rushed 8 times for 74 yards. The Cowboys averaged 8.5 yards per rush, and lost.

9. Laurent Robinson's first-half sideline juggling catch around his defender was incredible, even if it didn't count.

10. Tyron Smith is going to be really good, but he was on the hook for three sacks on Sunday night. As good as he may be, he is still a rookie. This happens.

10.5 Lots of stats to chew on, but this is a good one: Eagles time of possession - 42:09.

Comments

The Cowboys got beat. We all knew Vick was gonna come out with his guns blazing. We all knwe Vick was gonna be Vick. But now its the Cowboys turn. They got a soft schedule and its time to run the table. We gotta chance to do this thing. I'm cool with losing a few games. But now its on. Its go time. Time to see if the boyz are who we thought they were.